Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (2007)

Blu-ray

Describing Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is a linear way would be like taking everything that makes your favorite song or movie special and boiling it down to this sentence "I like it." So rather than do that imagine if you will the character of Ash (Bruce Campbell) going to a cabin with his girlfriend for a romantic weekend. Then Ash finds a Book of the Dead, his girlfriend gets possessed and Ash takes her head off with a shovel. Ash proceeds to be haunted by his dead girlfriend, as well as other spirits, and soon his hand gets possessed and tries to kill him. Then some people show up with missing pages from this Book of the Dead and that's when everyones real troubles begin as they discover Henrietta's fruit cellar.

Now, I know that I probably left a lot out and that purists might jump all over me for boiling this sacred film down to a paragraph. However, know that I am a fan of Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn which is more than a movie, it's more than a DVD, in fact, I don't know if I really know what it is.

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Sam Raimi, Star Bruce Campbell, Co-Writer Scott Spiegel and Special Make-up Effects Artist Greg Nicotero
Truthfully, this commentary track should have featured only Raimi and Bruce Campbell. These guys are the heart and soul of this movie and for some reason I just find that Greg Nicotero really bugs me (I think he talks too much during these things when he should just defer to the creators). It isn't that everybody is talking over everyone else, but Bruce Campbell has that magnetic quality that always seems to control things. I enjoyed hearing about the origins and reasons for certain scenes, but for the most part I would have rather heard Raimi and Campbell just trade war stories and anecdotes.

Fast Film Facts

"Evil Dead II: Behind The Screams" Featurette and "The Gore The Merrier" Featurette
I found myself somewhat disappointed by these featurettes mainly because they appeared to cover the same ground as the Audio Commentary. I guess I should have expected this (and it was great getting to see some on the set footage), but I wish that the minds behind the actual film had been more involved in making these featurettes play as something special. Certainly check these out if you are a fan of the film, however I think all the extras on this release are from the previous Standard versions.

I remember seeing Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn when I was really young and, frankly, it was too much for me. This movie is so hyperkinetic, so viscerally charged, that I remember leaving the house where my friends were watching it because I just couldn't keep up. Yet, as I was walking home I couldn't stop thinking about it. I also recall being somewhat put off by Bruce Campbell's acting. In later years I have had a change of heart and I understand what makes this movie great. The truth of the matter is that it is highly original. Evil Dead 2 isn't simply one movie but a mix of movies, styles and genres. It asks a lot of questions of viewers as it only pretends to be a horror film.

If you are a collector of Blu-ray Discs or you're just amassing a collection, I would highly recommend Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn simply for it's rough and unafraid visual qualities.